LOS ANGELES – The Kings entered the NHL Entry Draft owning nine selections but left with just five, their smallest draft haul since 1977.

For a team that feels confident in its organizational depth, it was an obvious flex of muscle.

“In the past few years, while we’ve been kind of restocking shelves, you’re looking for players you hope can step in a little quicker,” said Michael Futa, the Kings’ co-director of amateur scouting. “This year, it was not as much of an urgency.”

A day after trading up to get Derek Forbort with their lone first-round selection, the Kings engaged in more wheeling and dealing to net their final four picks Saturday. Their names are Tyler Toffoli (second round), Jordan Weal (third), Kevin Gravel (fifth) and Maxim Kitsyn (sixth), and their names might not be heard again in Staples Center for a while.

The Kings traded their third-round pick, 79th overall, for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ third-round selection in 2012. They also dealt their sixth- and seventh-round selections for the Atlanta Thrashers’ sixth-round pick, which was used to draft Kitsyn.

“The time is now for us to be able to make moves like that,” Futa said.

Toffoli and Weal are a pair of speedy, high-skilled, undersized centers from the Canadian junior system. The 6-foot, 178-pound Toffoli totaled 37 goals and 79 points for the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s last season.

Weal, listed at 5-9 and 162 pounds, ranked third in the Western Hockey League in scoring with 102 points for the Regina Pats.

Gravel is a 6-4, defensive-minded defenseman who is expected to attend St. Cloud (Minn.) State in the fall. The Michigan native had three goals and six points last season for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers.

Kitsyn might be the most intriguing prospect because several teams were believed to be scared off by what has become known as “The Russian Factor.”

The 18-year-old, ranked sixth among European skaters by Central Scouting before the draft, is under contract for three more years to his hometown team, Novokuznetsk Metallurg of the KHL.

But his agent, Alexander Tuyjnych, said Kitsyn is committed to playing in the Canadian junior system next season. Kitsyn even flew here with his family and Tuyjnych to make that declaration.

“We have a window, by December, January, and I will try very hard to make a deal and move him to a major junior team,” Tuyjnych said. “We’ve got one team already that maybe will select him on June 29 as a European draft pick.”

Added Futa, “I don’t think there’s much of a risk.”

The Ducks treated the draft like a trip to Las Vegas. After getting so lucky on his first day at the table, general manager Bob Murray felt he could afford to gamble more on day two.

The surest quantity came in the second round, where the Ducks took Devante Smith-Pelly with the 42nd overall pick. Their final five selections – all in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds – were “longer-term projects more in the home run category,” in the words of Martin Madden, the team’s director of amateur scouting.

Smith-Pelly, an 18-year-old from Mississauga of the OHL, had 29 goals and 62 points last season. A bulky 5-foot-11 , 211-pound right wing in the power forward mold, Smith-Pelly is expected to return to juniors next season.

The Ducks traded up to acquire their next pick by sending right wing Mike Brown to the Maple Leafs for the rights to select right wing Christopher Wagner 122nd overall. Wagner had 34 goals and 83 points in 44 games last season for the South Shore Kings of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

On Friday, the Ducks got lucky when defenseman Cam Fowler slipped to the No. 12 pick, and Long Beach native Emerson Etem fell to No. 29.

Murray did not swing a trade for a veteran defenseman in light of captain Scott Niedermayer’s retirement Tuesday and said, “I didn’t expect that to happen here.”.

“I think free agency is going to dictate what happens with a lot of people in this league,” Murray said. “I think teams are trying to re-sign their guys. A lot’s going to happen between now and July 1, and July 1 will dictate what’s available and what’s not available.”

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